Stormers see off Jaguares

Cape Town - The Stormers scored four tries on their way to a morale-boosting 29-14 victory over a strong Jaguares outfit in their pre-season friendly at Newlands on Saturday.

The match was the last outing before the Stormers’ first game of the new Vodacom Super Rugby season againt the Vodacom Bulls at Newlands on February 27.

The Stormers got on the front foot early in the game and dominated territory and possession.

The Jaguares defence held out manfully, but the pressure told on the 20 minute mark when speedy wing Leolin Zas got on the end of a pinpoint grubber from fullback Dillyn Leyds to race over for the opening try which put the hosts 7-0 up at the first mini-break.

The visitors made a determined start to the second chukka, but the Stormers defence held out well under pressure and they would be next to strike as Leyds glided through a gap on a switch from Huw Jones in midfield to score in the corner.

That saw the Stormers take a 12-0 lead into the half-time break after an intense opening 40 minutes which showcased both their defensive and attacking capabilities.

The team from Argentina suffered another setback early in the second half when replacement Javier Ortega Desio was shown a yellow card for a dangerous tackle, and Robert du Preez kicked the resulting penalty to stretch the Stormers’ lead to 15-0.

The Jaguares got on the board when replacement Santiago González Iglesias broke through the Stormers defensive line to score under the poles.

The Stormers made the ideal start to the final chukka as livewire Khanyo Ngcukana bounced off a few defenders to score under the poles and the conversion from Brandon Thompson took their lead out to 22-7.

The rest of the match was played out in the Jaguares half of the field as the Stormers pushed hard for a fourth try, and it came when lock JD Schickerling crashed over to cap a flowing movement.

The Jaguares scored on the stroke of full-time, as No 8 Facundo Isa crashed over, but it was little more than a consolation

Scorers:

Stormers:
Tries: Zas, Leyds, Ngcukana, Schickerling
Cons: Du Preez, Thompson 2
Pen: Du Preez

Jaguares:
Tries: González Iglesias, Isa
Cons: Landajo 2